ABERDEEN, MD- The Aberdeen IronBirds (25-38) faced the Lowell Spinners (30-33) on Thursday, August 23 in the rubbermatch of the three-game series. The night began early in the first inning with both the Spinners and the Birds plating a pair of runs in the first inning. IronBirds broke the tie in the fifth but the Spinners rallied back in the sixth and seventh innings to take the win.

RHP David Richardson (3-3, 4.25) took the mound for the Birds on Thursday night while Zach Good (0-6, 6.44) took the mound for the Spinners. Richardson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 17th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. Richardson struck out a career high nine batters on July 3 in Williamsport.

Spinners struck first early in the first inning when SS Mike Miller scored off of a triple hit by DH Devin Marrero. Spinners exited the inning with a 2-0 lead over the Birds.

CF Anthony Vega led off the first inning for the IronBirds. Sent to first on a walk by P Zach Good, Vega stole second off of a wild pitch and then advanced to third when 2B Creede Simpson popped out to centerfield. SS Joel Hutter grabbed an RBI single, his 25th RBI of the season, and sent Vega to home plate. A sacrifice fly by RF Manuel Hernandez allowed DH Sam Kimmel to score. IronBirds exited the first inning with the score at 2-2.

After two scoreless innings the IronBirds plated five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, 1B Cameron Edman smacked a single to center field and allowed Simpson and Kimmel to score. SS Joel Hutter scored off of a RF Manuel Hernandez fly ball single to left field.

The Spinners put three runs on the board in the fifth inning and added three more runs in the top of the seventh inning. CF Martty Johnson scored off of a passed ball by C Scott Kalush. 1B Jake Davies singled on a fly ball and brought home Miller and Marrero, taking back the lead at 8-7.

RHP Jadd Schmeltzer (2-3) took the win for the Spinners and RHP Jaime Esquivel (2-3) was assigned the loss for the IronBirds. RHP Gregory Larson grabbed the save for the Spinners.

The IronBirds travel to New York on Friday, August 24 for a three-game series against the Hudson Valley Renegades at Duchess Stadium. IronBirds LHP Jorge Rivera (0-2, 4.41) will take the mound against Hudson Valley RHP Taylor Guerrieri (1-2, 1.22). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Coverage on the IronBirds Radio Network will begin at 6:50 p.m.

About The Author

Tucker began operating Orioles-Nation.com in October 2013. He has been writing and reporting on the Orioles for an extensive period of time, dedicating most of his energy to the minor league side. He is also a member of the Baseball Prospectus Prospect Evaluation Team. Outside of baseball, Tucker also works as a Government Contractor for Contracting Resources Group, Inc. He has appeared as a radio guest on Fox 1370 and WNST 1570. Tucker writes and updates all player reports at Orioles-Nation.com and can be contacted at tuckerblair1989@gmail.com. Follow Tucker on Twitter @TuckerBlairON. Email Tucker at tblair@orioles-nation.com.